Hi Joker. I want to thank you for a great thread and blog. A couple of posts ago you mentioned an in line impedance adaptor. What is this, what does it do for you, and does it affect your ability to use smartphones as a source?

First of all I wanted to say that this is a great thread and I’m sure a lot of people appreciate Joker’s work. I was hoping I could get a recommendation for a new IEM. For the last several years I have been using Etymotic’s ER-6s, which finally died a while ago. I initially bought Etymotic’s ER-4PTs to replace them, but I found the bass lacking and the overall sound rather sterile. I’m looking for an IEM with an energetic and lively sound. I listen to a wide range of music, but especially pop, commercial dance and R&B. The IEMs would mostly be for commuting and so isolation is very important, especially as I listen at low volumes. I also want to use them directly from my phone without an amp. I have tried the Shure SE415s, Westone 4Rs and Klipsch x10s. I didn’t like the fit of the Shures and wasn’t blown away by the sound, found the Westone’s too smooth (like there was a veil) and there was something about the bass with the x10s I didn’t like. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Many thanks

First of all I wanted to say that this is a great thread and I’m sure a lot of people appreciate Joker’s work. I was hoping I could get a recommendation for a new IEM. For the last several years I have been using Etymotic’s ER-6s, which finally died a while ago. I initially bought Etymotic’s ER-4PTs to replace them, but I found the bass lacking and the overall sound rather sterile. I’m looking for an IEM with an energetic and lively sound. I listen to a wide range of music, but especially pop, commercial dance and R&B. The IEMs would mostly be for commuting and so isolation is very important, especially as I listen at low volumes. I also want to use them directly from my phone without an amp. I have tried the Shure SE415s, Westone 4Rs and Klipsch x10s. I didn’t like the fit of the Shures and wasn’t blown away by the sound, found the Westone’s too smooth (like there was a veil) and there was something about the bass with the x10s I didn’t like. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Many thanks

First of all I wanted to say that this is a great thread and I’m sure a lot of people appreciate Joker’s work. I was hoping I could get a recommendation for a new IEM. For the last several years I have been using Etymotic’s ER-6s, which finally died a while ago. I initially bought Etymotic’s ER-4PTs to replace them, but I found the bass lacking and the overall sound rather sterile. I’m looking for an IEM with an energetic and lively sound. I listen to a wide range of music, but especially pop, commercial dance and R&B. The IEMs would mostly be for commuting and so isolation is very important, especially as I listen at low volumes. I also want to use them directly from my phone without an amp. I have tried the Shure SE415s, Westone 4Rs and Klipsch x10s. I didn’t like the fit of the Shures and wasn’t blown away by the sound, found the Westone’s too smooth (like there was a veil) and there was something about the bass with the x10s I didn’t like. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Many thanks

Currently have a pair of Sony MH1Cs, they're cheap and cheerful (and sound extremely good for the price). However, there's a problem with the cable somewhere, and they keep cutting out (in addition to being a pain to wear due to the J-split).

They sound OK but I'm finding that the bass dominates the overall presentation a little too much. Looking at something that has a similar warmth, but with slightly better balance and detail across the board. Mainly for hip-hop, rap, R&B, with the occasional bit of rock, pop, and acoustic.

Budget: anything up to around £150.

Must be durable, extremely comfortable, worn down (not over the ear) and preferably have controls for iOS devices. The MH1Cs also manage to sound quite natural, so I don't want anything that has an artificial veil to them (like some of the poorer models in the Sennheiser range). Also hate the mid-bass hump in IEMs like the Audio Technica CKS70.

Was considering the Klipsch Image X10i at £99, however durability is a huge problem, and there are bound to be better choices out there now they're 6+ years old. Similar comfort would be great, though I know it'll be difficult to find. Many recommendations in this thread for the Yamaha EPH-100, but comfort doesn't seem to be quite as good.

1. I lost one of the Earguides for my GR07 BE. I have search for earguides online and just a few site offer but on all of them are sold out.

Any trick or recommendation to "emulate" the Earguides?

Any cheap earphones (less than 20$) that comes with earguides I could use with my GR07?

2. I love the sound of these earphones, definitely a good amount of bass for me. Now, what would be an upgrade without breaking the bank? I would like the same amount of bass and a little bit more of soundstage wouldn't hurt. It can be universal or custom, but I would prefer universal.

Thank you, not only for this help but for all your effort on this valuable thread.

1. I lost one of the Earguides for my GR07 BE. I have search for earguides online and just a few site offer but on all of them are sold out.

Any trick or recommendation to "emulate" the Earguides?

Any cheap earphones (less than 20$) that comes with earguides I could use with my GR07?

2. I love the sound of these earphones, definitely a good amount of bass for me. Now, what would be an upgrade without breaking the bank? I would like the same amount of bass and a little bit more of soundstage wouldn't hurt. It can be universal or custom, but I would prefer universal.

Thank you, not only for this help but for all your effort on this valuable thread.

with out breaking your bank , an upgrade , no , you need at least $500+ for a substantial upgrade .

Currently have a pair of Sony MH1Cs, they're cheap and cheerful (and sound extremely good for the price). However, there's a problem with the cable somewhere, and they keep cutting out (in addition to being a pain to wear due to the J-split).

They sound OK but I'm finding that the bass dominates the overall presentation a little too much. Looking at something that has a similar warmth, but with slightly better balance and detail across the board. Mainly for hip-hop, rap, R&B, with the occasional bit of rock, pop, and acoustic.

Budget: anything up to around £150.

Must be durable, extremely comfortable, worn down (not over the ear) and preferably have controls for iOS devices. The MH1Cs also manage to sound quite natural, so I don't want anything that has an artificial veil to them (like some of the poorer models in the Sennheiser range). Also hate the mid-bass hump in IEMs like the Audio Technica CKS70.

Was considering the Klipsch Image X10i at £99, however durability is a huge problem, and there are bound to be better choices out there now they're 6+ years old. Similar comfort would be great, though I know it'll be difficult to find. Many recommendations in this thread for the Yamaha EPH-100, but comfort doesn't seem to be quite as good.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance :)

re-400 can do your work . if you can deal with flat bass , brainwavz b2 .

re-400 can do your work . if you can deal with flat bass , brainwavz b2 .

From what I've read both of those will be too bass-light for my liking, and possibly too analytical. I'm looking for something a bit more "musical", so to speak. Thanks for the suggestions anyway, shame as the B2 would appear to be an excellent choice if I had slightly different preferences!

From what I've read both of those will be too bass-light for my liking, and possibly too analytical. I'm looking for something a bit more "musical", so to speak. Thanks for the suggestions anyway, shame as the B2 would appear to be an excellent choice if I had slightly different preferences!

I'd probably suggest the EPH-100 (more $$$) or Flux (less $$$) (from personal experience both are better balanced than the MH1C) and would also suggest reading into the MA750 given it's recent review and it being priced in between the other two.

I'm sure its been answered but I didn't see if the first couple of pages of the reviews. I assuming that when you bold either worn down or over the ear in your reviews, the "bolded" option is the way you prefer or think works best for that particular iem, am i correct?

I'd probably suggest the EPH-100 (more $$$) or Flux (less $$$) (from personal experience both are better balanced than the MH1C) and would also suggest reading into the MA750 given it's recent review and it being priced in between the other two.

Thanks for these responses guys. Just a little more insight, to my ears the MH1C's mids are too recessed, and the top-end is lacking a bit. What I don't want his to go completely in the opposite direction and end up with a sibilant top-end. Bass quantity with the MH1Cs is OK, could do with being a little quicker.

@ljokerl, if you see this how would you compare these the MA750 and EPH-100 in terms of sound signature? I've read several of your comments as well as others on various sites and am now rather confused. Some have said that the MA750 has more recessed mids, less bass, is brighter sounding than the EPH-100. I know you don't like making comparisons of equipment when you don't have them on hand, however how would you compare them to each other, as well as the MH1C (mainly in terms of signature here)? Many thanks :)